At the heart of Allenspark, just off of Highway 7, is Distant Harbors gift shop with a treasure trove of offerings. Distant Harbors contains an eclectic, rustically charming collection of items for the holidays. Kristine Futro, the owner of Distant Harbors, has operated the business for 25 years and has curated an astonishing collection of books, clothing, jewelry, artwork, and other seasonal items.

“Most people probably go right by it,” she said recently as she was preparing for the holiday season, “but we like being off the beaten track, and we have that small town community thing going on. So, it’s worked for me all these years.”

Futro focuses on having a changing inventory, from locally crafted items to items from around the world. “It’s always different and changing. There’s not a particular theme,” she said, “although I like to have items for people that are local, so they don’t have to go too far. Cards and books, local artists.”

She says there are many local artists to draw from, and she likes to blend their works with internationally curated finds. “We like to travel and so we pick up things along the way. So, it’s evolved over the years.”

Futro has added a clothing selection, which has grown over the last five years. From cards to gifts, she tries to offer a variety of things to make it possible to find unique items that folks need without having to go to the Front Range or Estes Park. “Something to take to someone who needs a little pick-me-up, something to make them smile, I try to keep things like that on hand.”

Distant Harbors will be open until around the December 30, 2021, and after that they will be closed for the winter.

Distant Harbors can be found at 79 CO-7 BUS, Allenspark, Colorado, 80510. Phone (303) 747-2007, https:// www.facebook.com/DistantHarbors, Email: distantharbors@earthlink.net.